Experimental study on antinociceptive and anti-allergy effects of patchouli oil

摘要

Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth. (Lamiaceae), which is named 'Guang-Huo-Xiang' in Chinese, has various therapeutic functions to remove dampness, relieve summer-heat and exterior syndrome, stop vomiting, and stimulate appetite. Patchouli oil is the essential oil of Pogostemonis herba. This study is aimed to investigate the antinociceptive and anti-allergy activities of patchouli oil. The antinociceptive activity of patchouli oil (20, 40, and 80 mg/kg) was evaluated using the acetic acid-induced writhing test (NIH mice) and the hot-plate test (NIH mice), and those for anti-allergy activity were tested using Schultz-Dale reaction, the passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) test, and delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) test. All doses of patchouh oil could significantly (p<0.05) extend writhing latent period and moderately decrease writhing frequency. In the hot-plate test, patchouli oil treatment significantly (p<0.01) increased the latency period at all three doses at 30, 60, and 90-minute time intervals compared with the control group. Patchouli oil could remarkably (p<0.01) inhibit the contraction induced by the Schultz-Dale reaction. Moreover, patchouh oil at all doses significantly (p<0.01) inhibited the PCA reaction induced by Sprague-Dawley rat anti-ovalbumin serum and the DTH reaction induced by the 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene when comparing with those of the control group. The findings suggested that patchouli oil may provide additional evidence for its potential uses as antinociceptive and anti-allergy agents.